917 research outputs found
Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the DNA gyrase B protein from B-stearothermophilus
DNA gyrase B (GyrB) from B. stearothermophilus has been crystallized in the presence of the non-hydrolyzable ATP analogue, 5'-adenylpl-beta-gamma-imidodiphosphate (ADPNP), by the dialysis method. A complete native data set to 3.7 Angstrom has been collected from crystals which belonged to the cubic space group I23 with unit-cell dimension a = 250.6 Angstrom. Self-rotation function analysis indicates the position of a molecular twofold axis. Low-resolution data sets of a thimerosal and a selenomethionine derivative have also been analysed. The heavy-atom positions are consistent with one dimer in the asymmetric unit
Quantum tunneling dynamics of an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate through a Gaussian barrier
The transmission of an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate incident on a
repulsive Gaussian barrier is investigated through numerical simulation. The
dynamics associated with interatomic interactions are studied across a broad
parameter range not previously explored. Effective 1D Gross-Pitaevskii equation
(GPE) simulations are compared to classical Boltzmann-Vlasov equation (BVE)
simulations in order to isolate purely coherent matterwave effects. Quantum
tunneling is then defined as the portion of the GPE transmission not described
by the classical BVE. An exponential dependence of transmission on barrier
height is observed in the purely classical simulation, suggesting that
observing such exponential dependence is not a sufficient condition for quantum
tunneling. Furthermore, the transmission is found to be predominately described
by classical effects, although interatomic interactions are shown to modify the
magnitude of the quantum tunneling. Interactions are also seen to affect the
amount of classical transmission, producing transmission in regions where the
non-interacting equivalent has none. This theoretical investigation clarifies
the contribution quantum tunneling makes to overall transmission in
many-particle interacting systems, potentially informing future tunneling
experiments with ultracold atoms.Comment: Close to the published versio
A quantum sensor: simultaneous precision gravimetry and magnetic gradiometry with a Bose-Einstein condensate
A Bose-Einstein condensate is used as an atomic source for a high precision
sensor. A atom F=1 spinor condensate of Rb is released
into free fall for up to ms and probed with a Mach-Zehnder atom
interferometer based on Bragg transitions. The Bragg interferometer
simultaneously addresses the three magnetic states, , facilitating a simultaneous measurement of the acceleration due
to gravity with an asymptotic precision of g/g and
the magnetic field gradient to a precision pT/m
Non-destructive shadowgraph imaging of ultracold atoms
An imaging system is presented that is capable of far-detuned non-destructive
imaging of a Bose-Einstein condensate with the signal proportional to the
second spatial derivative of the density. Whilst demonstrated with application
to , the technique generalizes to other atomic species and is
shown to be capable of a signal to noise of at GHz detuning with
in-trap images showing no observable heating or atom loss. The technique
is also applied to the observation of individual trajectories of stochastic
dynamics inaccessible to single shot imaging. Coupled with a fast optical phase
lock loop, the system is capable of dynamically switching to resonant
absorption imaging during the experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Observation of a Modulational Instability in Bose-Einstein condensates
We observe the breakup dynamics of an elongated cloud of condensed Rb
atoms placed in an optical waveguide. The number of localized spatial
components observed in the breakup is compared with the number of solitons
predicted by a plane-wave stability analysis of the nonpolynomial nonlinear
Schr\"odinger equation, an effective one-dimensional approximation of the
Gross-Pitaevskii equation for cigar-shaped condensates. It is shown that the
numbers predicted from the fastest growing sidebands are consistent with the
experimental data, suggesting that modulational instability is the key
underlying physical mechanism driving the breakup.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Precise wavefunction engineering with magnetic resonance
Controlling quantum fluids at their fundamental length scale will yield
superlative quantum simulators, precision sensors, and spintronic devices. This
scale is typically below the optical diffraction limit, precluding precise
wavefunction engineering using optical potentials alone. We present a protocol
to rapidly control the phase and density of a quantum fluid down to the healing
length scale using strong time-dependent coupling between internal states of
the fluid in a magnetic field gradient. We demonstrate this protocol by
simulating the creation of a single stationary soliton and double soliton
states in a Bose-Einstein condensate with control over the individual soliton
positions and trajectories, using experimentally feasible parameters. Such
states are yet to be realized experimentally, and are a path towards
engineering soliton gases and exotic topological excitations.Comment: 8+ pages, 3 figures; revised parameters and added section about
optimisation of adiabatic, finite-duration pulses and analytic resolution
limi
Spatial variation in breeding habitat selection by Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) throughout the appalachian mountains
Studies of habitat selection are often of limited utility because they focus on small geographic areas, fail to examine behavior at multiple scales, or lack an assessment of the fitness consequences of habitat decisions. These limitations can hamper the identification of successful site-specific management strategies, which are urgently needed for severely declining species like Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea). We assessed how breeding habitat decisions made by Cerulean Warblers at multiple scales, and the subsequent effects of these decisions on nest survival, varied across the Appalachian Mountains. Selection for structural habitat features varied substantially among areas, particularly at the territory scale. Males within the least-forested landscapes selected microhabitat features that reflected more closed-canopy forest conditions, whereas males in highly forested landscapes favored features associated with canopy disturbance. Selection of nest-patch and nest-site attributes by females was more consistent across areas, with females selecting for increased tree size and understory cover and decreased basal area and midstory cover. Floristic preferences were similar across study areas: White Oak (Quercus alba), Cucumber-tree (Magnolia acuminata), and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) were preferred as nest trees, whereas red oak species (subgenus Erythrobalanus) and Red Maple (A. rubrum) were avoided. The habitat features that were related to nest survival also varied among study areas, and preferred features were negatively associated with nest survival at one area. Thus, our results indicate that large-scale spatial heterogeneity may influence local habitat-selection behavior and that it may be necessary to articulate site-specific management strategies for Cerulean Warblers
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Identification of external influences on temperatures in California
We use eight different observational datasets to estimate California-average temperature trends over 1950-1999. Observed results are compared to trends from a suite of control simulations of natural internal climate variability. Observed increases in annual-mean surface temperature are distinguishable from climate noise in some but not all observational datasets. The most robust results are large positive trends in mean and maximum daily temperatures in late winter/early spring, as well as increases in minimum daily temperatures from January to September. These trends are inconsistent with model-based estimates of natural internal climate variability, and thus require one or more external forcing agents to be explained. Our results suggest that the warming of Californian winters over the second half of the twentieth century is associated with human-induced changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation. We also hypothesize that the lack of a detectable increase in summertime maximum temperature arises from a cooling associated with large-scale irrigation. This cooling may have, until now, counteracted the warming induced by increasing greenhouse gases and urbanization effects
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